The Defense of Freedom Begins at Universities

The Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS examines the global challenges facing liberal democracies, while the Academic Freedom Week highlights how these developments directly affect academic freedom and put scholars at risk. This is part 1 of our new series on the Clusters of Excellence.

Democracies and liberal societies around the world are increasingly under pressure. Autocrats and authoritarian parties promise simple solutions to complex issues, gaining growing public support in the process. At the same time, declining trust in established democratic parties, social inequality, and cultural insecurity are fueling the rise of populist movements. Their growing influence demonstrates that challenges to liberal ideas and institutions also emerge from within liberal societies themselves. The Berlin Cluster of Excellence Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS) examines these dynamics from historical, global, and comparative perspectives, asking why liberal orders are becoming unstable – and how they can endure.

As a consequence of these developments, Academic freedom is also under pressure. The Academic Freedom Index 2026 shows global declines, including in Germany, which nevertheless continues to rank comparatively high. Academic freedom, therefore, cannot be taken for granted; it is a value that must be actively protected.

What this means in practice is reflected in the experiences of two visiting scholars who fled countries with particularly low levels of academic freedom and came to Germany. In interviews, they speak about threats in their home countries, starting over in a new environment, and the personal importance of free research. Bringing these perspectives together is one aim of Academic Freedom Week, taking place in Berlin from May 18 - 22 and organized by Scholars at Risk, the Berlin University Alliance, and other national and international partners.